Integrated Systems and Methods Providing Situational Awareness of Operations In An Orgranization

ABSTRACT

A system which comprises a series of native applications, suited to run on mobile devices, and a series of web-based applications for which functionality and processing are optimized. The native applications and the web-based applications are coordinated to optimize processes of acquiring, storing and disseminating data for speed, integrity and security.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. National Stage applicationSer. No. 14/648,076 filed May 28, 2015 which claims priority toInternational Application No. PCT/US13/72260 filed Nov. 27, 2013 whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/730,660, filed Nov. 28, 2012 and is related to: U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/671,961 “System and Method for SituationalAwareness” filed 8 Nov. 2012 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/724,048 “System and Method for Detecting and Analyzing Near RangeWeapon Fire” filed 8 Nov. 2012, each of which is incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to organizations and, more particularly, tosituational awareness, command and control, coordination of informationamong personnel, acquiring and preserving integrity of information andimproving the safety and efficiency of an organization's operations.Features of the invention are especially applicable to law enforcementand Public Safety operations, and are described in this context but,more generally, the invention facilitates organizational operations inpublic, military and private sectors.

BACKGROUND

Commonly, law enforcement operations have a fixed set of assets whichoperate independently. Although some of the assets generate informationvital to successful law enforcement operations, it is desirable toprovide even more information to enhance performance and efficiency orimprove the safety of officers. Systems according to the invention notonly generate more useful information, but also make that informationmore broadly available in an optimal manner with the goal of providinggreater utility to members of the operation. Law enforcement operationswould benefit from an ability to generate more situational informationand make that information immediately available to all members of theoperation who can potentially use the information to more effectivelyperform their line or supervisory duties. In many instances, officersare at risk for encountering unanticipated dangers which cannot beeasily monitored and it is desirable to provide improved techniques formore comprehensive monitoring, more timely generation of alerts andimproved command and control in these circumstances.

Many patrol officers spend a large percent of duty time in associationwith an assigned patrol vehicle. Typically, the patrol vehicle serves asa mobile center for enhanced communication, information acquisition,generation of GPS information and video monitoring. However, when theofficer steps out of a patrol vehicle far fewer resources are at hand.In addition, many officers never have access to a vehicle, such as thoseassigned to crowd control or SWAT, and officers patrolling on bicycles,walking a beat or performing undercover activities. An officer normallycarries only a service radio, which is a primary means of voicecommunications, a pager and perhaps a personal or department ownedmobile telephone. Thus, from the standpoint of safety, it isunderstandable that officers should feel most secure when inside avehicle rather than when performing duties outside of the vehicle. Yet,much police work is done on foot and away from a vehicle.

Responsive to a need to provide and share more useful information in atimely manner, a novel system employs an integrated architecture ofnetworked equipment and software operations with which officers canobtain timely information about other officers and personnel. In oneembodiment, the information is displayed as text and graphicpresentations, including use of icons and a variety of map views, whichkeep members of a group informed about, for example, the status ofvariable tactical dispositions of other members of the organization. Thesystem also enables acquisition and display of proximity and directionalawareness (e.g., distances and directions relative to other officers)and provides officers with rapid awareness of critical events such asthe occurrence of gunfire in the presence of another officer. The systemmakes use of sensors to rapidly detect and alert members of theorganization about life threatening incidents in the presence of one ormore other members. This enables alerted members to quickly initiate themost rapid and informed responses possible. Another feature of thesystem is a distributed arrangement for secure collection and retentionof information generated by members of an organization (e.g., lawenforcement officers, a security force, militia or first responders),including time stamped notes and captured multimedia data. This andother information can be disseminated to other members of theorganization immediately, can be later used for generating reports, andcan be transferred to secure databases for preservation of legalevidence.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, systems and methods are based on adistributed software architecture enabling an organization of users tocommunicate real time information effectively while enabling supervisorsto perform command and control functions. In one embodiment anetwork-based system includes a combination of server based applicationsand user based applications which cooperatively operate to performfunctions which provide situational awareness to members of anorganization. The embodiment comprises both native user applications forsmart phones and tablet computers and web based applications for laptop,desktop and tablet computers, as well as smart phones and otherterminals. A core functionality of this system is rapid provision ofsituational awareness among users logged into the system. Embodiments ofthe systems and methods enable rapid collection, sharing and analysis ofvarious information obtained from locations about which the smart phonesare positioned. This brings enhanced capability into environments whichmay be characterized by high levels of threat, requiring quick reactionor covert actions. In addition to applications in law enforcementdomains, the invention is useful to emergency response needs, militaryoperations and activities performed by commercial security personnel. Afeature of the invention is that numerous applications which enhancesituational awareness operate with little or no active involvement ofpersonnel in the field environment. In many instances, the applicationsautomatically collect, analyze and display information which is easy tovisualize. In some instances the applications automatically transmitdata through the network from one member of a group to one or more othermembers.

In one series of embodiments, a method is described for providinginformation to one or more members in a group of users. Each user has ahand-held device which communicates as a client to a server in a networkvia a rf link, the hand-held devices each having a volatile storagemedium for temporary data storage, a display for viewing informationpresent in the device memory circuit, a device processor and anon-volatile storage medium for data storage for which access to readdata from and write data to the device non-volatile storage medium isunder the control of the device processor, the server having a processorand a non-volatile server storage medium for which access to read datafrom and write data to the non-volatile server storage medium is underthe control of the server processor. The method includes creating dataon a first of the hand-held devices with the data written to thevolatile storage medium of the first device or to the non-volatilestorage medium of the first device and displayed to the user aftercreation. After writing the data to the volatile storage medium of thefirst device or the non-volatile storage medium of the first device, thedata is uploaded to the server and the server processor writes the datato the non-volatile server storage medium. After uploading the data tothe server, further access to place the data in the volatile storagemedium of the first device for viewing on the device display is limitedby requiring, each time a user in possession of the first device seeksto present the data on the display of the first device for viewing, thatthe data only be accessed from the non-volatile storage medium under thecontrol of the server processor and sent to the volatile storage mediumof the first device without writing of the data into any non-volatilestorage medium directly accessible by the device processor. The datareceived by the first device from the server can be viewed on the devicedisplay but cannot be stored in any non-volatile storage medium in thefirst device.

In one embodiment of a method for creating and sharing information in anetwork, the network has a server and a plurality of clients in the formof hand-held devices, and each device includes a processor, a volatilestorage medium accessible via the device processor for temporary datastorage, a non-volatile storage medium accessible via the deviceprocessor for data storage and a touch screen display. The methodincludes coupling the devices to the server via a rf link, providing onat least a first of the devices a first screen presented on the displaycomprising a series of icons, a first of the icons providing access to atext entry application, for creating text notes, or an image captureapplication, the text entry application or image capture applicationenabling creation of data by a user of the first device, which data isviewed on a second screen presented on the display of the device, andproviding on the first of the devices, during or after data creation,temporary storage of the data displayed on the second screen. After datacreation on the first device, the method includes providing, via thetouch screen display, an option to transfer the created data from thedevice to the server, providing via the touch screen display, after datacreation on the first device, an ability to select specific ones of theother devices to which the created data received by the server is to bemade available and providing the server with an identification of theselected devices wherein, provided the user transfers the created datafrom the first device to the server, the first device automaticallyremoves the data from all non-volatile storage accessible to the uservia the device processor. A notification is sent from the server to eachof the other selected devices indicating that access to the created datais available to that selected device for viewing. Upon the serverreceiving a request from one of the other selected devices, the data aresent from the server to said one of the selected devices.

In another embodiment, a method is provided according to which a serverin a network provides data created by a first client in the network toother clients in the network for viewing. The server includes aprocessor which writes information to both volatile memory andnon-volatile storage. The method includes using the server processor towrite the data created by the first client to the non-volatile storageso that, upon request, the server accesses and transfers to any one ofthe clients the data created by the first client and written to thenon-volatile storage. The non-volatile storage is the sole repository ofthe data created by the first client so that every time any one of theclients views the data created by the first client the data is onlyaccessed by the client through a network connection to the server.

A system is provided for managing data on a server, the server havingserver processor and a non-volatile storage associated therewith. Aplurality of clients are in communication with the server over anetwork, each of the clients having a device processor and a volatileand non-volatile storage associated therewith. The server processor isadapted to: receive data from a respective client in the network,wherein the client is adapted to delete the data from its local storageonce received by the server; store the data on the server in thenon-volatile storage associated with the server, wherein the serverfunctions as a sole repository for the data; and provide access to thedata by authorized ones of the plurality of clients. The data accessedby the clients remains volatile on the client and is prevented frombeing written to non-volatile storage associated with the client.

Also according to an embodiment of the invention, a method is providedfor generating information for isolated viewing by one or more membersin a group of users. Each user has a hand-held device which communicatesas a client to a server in a network via a rf link. The hand-helddevices each have a volatile storage medium for temporary data storage,a display for viewing information present in the device memory circuit,a device processor and a non-volatile storage medium for data storagefor which access to read data from and write data to the devicenon-volatile storage medium is under the control of the deviceprocessor. The server has a processor and a non-volatile server storagemedium for which access to read data from and write data to thenon-volatile server storage medium is under the control of the serverprocessor. The method includes: running a first software application ona first of the devices by which the device is logged into a closednetwork as a client for the purpose of exchanging data with a server inthe network, launching a second software application from a screen pagegenerated on the display by the first application, and creating data onthe first device with the second software application running on thedevice processor and as launched from the screen page generated on thedisplay by the first application. The second application is accessibleto the user of the first device in at least a first data storage mode.The data (i) are presented on the display during or after creation and(ii) are written to a first block of data storage cells in thenon-volatile storage medium of the first device which are not accessibleby the user except by launching the second software application from ascreen presented on the display which is generated by the firstapplication.

A related method includes running a first software application on afirst of the devices by which the device is logged into a closed networkas a client for the purpose of exchanging data with a server in thenetwork, launching a second software application from a screen pagegenerated on the display by the first application, and creating data onthe first device with the second software application running on thedevice processor and as launched from the screen page generated on thedisplay by the first application wherein the second application isaccessible to the user of the first device in at least a first datastorage mode and wherein the data (i) are presented on the displayduring or after creation and (ii) are written to a first block of datastorage cells in the volatile storage medium of the first device whichare not accessible by the user except by launching the second softwareapplication from a screen presented on the display which is generated bythe first application.

According to another embodiment, a method of sharing information betweenone or more hand-held devices includes storing data locally on a storagemedium of a first device of the hand-held devices, wherein the datalocally stored is initially accessible for display on the first device;uploading the data to the server adapted to store the data in anon-volatile format remote from the first of the hand-held devices;preventing, via the device processor, further access to the data locallystored on the first device; and retrieving the data stored on the serverfor display on one or more of the hand-held devices, wherein theserver-retrieved data remains volatile on the one or more of thehand-held devices.

Also according to another embodiment of the invention, in a networkcomprising a server and a plurality of clients, a method for covertlyacquiring data with a first software application running on a first oneof the clients, for the first software application there may be an imagewhich (i) by the nature of the image as displayed on a screen of aclient, overtly exhibits a self-evident association with the firstsoftware application, (ii) specifically identifies the first softwareapplication and (iii) indicates when the first software application isrunning on the client, The method includes providing a hand-held deviceas the first client, the hand-held device having a processor, a storagemedium, a touch screen display, rf communications capability and anability to run the first software application in at least a firstconfiguration where (i) in order to run the first software applicationin the first configuration a log-in must first be input to the client,and (ii) when running the first software application in the firstconfiguration, no such image which overtly exhibits a self-evidentassociation with the first software application can be viewed on thedisplay to both identify the first software application and indicatethat the first software application is running on the client. The methodincludes initiating monitoring and communicating to other clientsinformation about the activity associated with the first client by:

-   -   (i) displaying a feature on a screen accessible with the touch        screen display, the feature having no self-evident association        with the first software application, wherein the screen        displaying the feature is responsive via the touch screen        display to application of a gesture or key sequence;    -   (ii) presenting a log-in screen or a prompt to run the first        software application in the first configuration by inputting via        the touch screen display a predefined gesture or key sequence        after the feature is first displayed;    -   (iii) performing the log-in on the displayed log-in screen; and    -   (iii) after performing the log-in, initiating the running of the        first software application according to the first configuration        without providing display of any image which specifically        identifies the first software application and indicates that the        first software application is currently running on the client.

According to another embodiment, in a method is provided for covertlyterminating execution of program steps in application software runningon a hand-held electronic device of the type having a processor, astorage medium, a touch screen through which termination of programexecution by the processor is had with gestures made on or near thescreen by one or more fingers, and a first software applicationcontaining first program steps stored in the storage medium andexecutable on the processor by making one or more gestures on or nearthe screen, the first program steps including display of one or morescreens of graphic or text information relating to subject matter of thefirst application. The method includes enabling access to controltermination of the second program steps by initiating execution of thefirst program steps, this causing display of a screen of the graphic ortext information. Execution of the second program steps is terminated bymaking one or more first additional gestures on or near the screen whilethe graphic or text information is displayed on the screen.

In still another embodiment according to the invention there is provideda method for determining the range of fire for a weapon with a systemincluding a server in a network which receives data from a mobile clientin the network. The client is in the possession of a user proximate theweapon. The method includes acquiring identification information for theweapon with the mobile client by reading a tag associated with theweapon with the mobile client, transmitting the weapon identificationinformation to the server, acquiring a predetermined range of fire forthe weapon from a database; and creating a common operating picturewhich includes the location of the client and a circle centered aboutthe client location. The circle indicates a limit in the weapon firingrange in a map view presentation or radar view presentation of thecommon operating picture. Based on calculations the view may alsoindicate whether the weapon firing range is sufficient to reach aspecific target area shown in the view.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout where:

FIG. 1 illustrates a situational awareness system with both static andmobile client devices connected to a server.

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary software applications of the situationalawareness system.

FIGS. 3 a, 3 b and 3 c illustrate the basic functionality of a SystemAdministration application.

FIG. 4 illustrates a first time user profile of the SituationalAwareness Mobile application.

FIG. 5 illustrates the home screen and the settings menu of theSituational Awareness Mobile application.

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrate list, map, radar and officer isolationviews for the Situational Awareness Mobile application.

FIGS. 7 a, 7 b and 7 c illustrate text note creation, photo notecreation and notebook viewing options of the Situational AwarenessMobile application.

FIGS. 8 a and 8 b illustrate an exemplary process for text note andphotograph creation within the Situational Awareness Mobile application.

FIGS. 9 a, 9 b and 9 c illustrate how to view shared notes, share noteswith other members and receive a notification of shared notes within theSituational Awareness Mobile application.

FIG. 10 illustrates a process of note sharing and deletion.

FIG. 11 illustrates a Situational Awareness Map/Roster application.

FIG. 12 illustrates a method for determining range of weapon fire in aSituational Awareness Map/Roster application.

FIGS. 13 a, 13 b, 13 c and 13 d illustrate a Situational AwarenessInformation Manager application.

FIG. 14 illustrates a sample report output from the SituationalAwareness Information Manager application.

FIG. 15 illustrates the Share Notes page within the SituationalAwareness Information Manager application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to an embodiment of the invention, a situational awarenesssystem 10, illustrated in FIG. 1, is deployed in an organization whichcomprises a group of static and mobile clients 12. The clients mayinclude hand-held devices (e.g. smart phones, tablets, tactical radios,etc), also referred to as mobile clients, and notebook, laptop anddesktop computers in an Internet Protocol (IP) network architecture.Each client 12 is linked to a server 14 in a network 16. The server maybe centralized or distributed. System administration is server based. Asused herein, the terms client and client device refer to aprocessor-based device on a node of the network. The term user refers toa person in the organization who is logged into the network through aclient 12. The server 14 stores complete profiles of all users 18 in thenetwork 16, performs calculations necessary for whole system performanceand stores data collected or created by the clients in a database 24.Users 18 who are mobile can remotely receive and transmit informationand alerts via clients 12, e.g. using smartphones, laptops and tablets,through wireless network links 22, e.g., an RF or WiFi link, while users18 who are stationary can receive and transmit information throughstandard wired network interfaces. Many of the clients 12 may havetouch-screen interfaces, e.g. smartphones, tablets and some laptopcomputers. The server includes storage 26 in which the database 24 ismaintained. Information in the database 24 is accessible to the clientsthrough the server 14 in order to access and share information providedby the users among the users. Information that may be transmitted andreceived by clients and/or stored within the server database includes,but is not limited to, user profile information, user preferences,location data, text notes authored by the users 18 and photographs.

The system 10 may operate on any combination of wireless and wirednetwork segments as long as the network connections are InternetProtocol (IP) based, e.g. Cellular, Bluetooth, WI-FI, Ethernet, etc. Theterm situational awareness as used herein refers to information madeavailable through the network 16 to members of an organization, whichinformation raises awareness about a condition relating to a member ofthe organization or a function of the organization.

Situational Awareness mobile application refers to software embodimentswhich run on mobile client devices. In the disclosed embodiments theseapplications provide: an environment under which special modes of otherapplications (including applications commonly provided on mobileclients) may be run, exclusive means for transferring data between theclient and the server, and local computations on data for graphicdisplay of the data for the benefit of the user 18 (e.g., when viewingCommon Operating Picture). According to the invention, SituationalAwareness mobile applications are chosen when one or more softwarefunctions can most optimally be performed locally, i.e., running on themobile client devices, while other software application functions maymost optimally be performed by running the application on the server,often while the client is directly linked to the server through abrowser. Smart phone and tablet computers may also operate theserver-based applications utilizing an internet browser. Thismulti-processor distributed architecture enables a heretofore unknownlevel of enhanced information reporting, including real time awarenessof the most current status of a user 18 through one or more awarenessresources. Real time awareness refers to timely awareness of informationto members of the organization, e.g., via displays on the mobile clientsor other computers, i.e., in a relatively rapid manner, to facilitateoptimal use of information, including expedient responses to urgentsituations.

The system 10 may utilize the IP address of the user's client device,e.g. smartphone, computer, etc., and the URL of the server to create anetwork connection through which data is shared between the twoendpoints. Generally, with the combination of an IP-based network and acellular system, persons logged into the situational awareness system 10have access to send and receive time critical data via smart phones orother mobile devices such as tablets, and wired devices. Other wirelesssystems such as WI-FI or Bluetooth networks can also provideconnectivity when a client is not connected to the cellular system.

The following system specifics are exemplary. For the disclosedembodiments the software architecture for sending and receivinginformation is a client-server distributed networking architectureutilizing cloud based computing methodologies over standard HTTPrequests. A Representational State Transfer (REST) based service modelis utilized which enables only client devices to initiate requests tothe server using HTTP for both browser and mobile applications. Otherappropriate standard signaling interfaces may be used in addition toHTTP as necessary. This REST services model can serve entire interfaces,partial interface elements, and JSON or XML data as necessary forbrowser applications and domain specific business logic, datavalidation, and the data repository access for mobile applications.Domain concerns handled by these services can include userauthentication, user profile management, location tracking, messaging,etc. The client device forms a network socket connection with the serverby initiating a service request to the server and locating the server bythe URL address. The server authenticates the client device first with aseries of username, password or security token acknowledgements and thenprocesses the service request from the client. When information is sentback to the client, the IP address of the device is contained in therequest for the service and is maintained while the socket connection isopen. As a result, the server only requires the IP address of the clientwhen a REST based service is initiated. Hence, dynamically allocated IPaddresses are acceptable for the client devices with this architecture.

The server may be secured with a firewall appliance that can require VPNaccess, e.g., with all data within the database encrypted, and providesecure transmission using protocols such as TLP over HTTPS. A feature ofthe system 10 is that with the server 14 as the central coordinator,controlling access to the database 24, users who are not connected tothe server through the IP network cannot receive information from otherusers or transmit information to other users in the system 10. Hence thesystem design can be used to control the flow of data and preserve theintegrity of data created. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the situationalawareness system 10 which includes a suite comprising two native mobileapplications 28, 30 and three web based applications 34, 36, 38. ASituational Awareness Mobile application 28 and a Covert Mobileapplication 30 are exemplary native mobile applications which run onsmart phones. A System Administration application 34, a SituationalAwareness Map/Roster application 36 and a Situational AwarenessInformation Manager application 38 are exemplary browser basedapplications which operate on the server 14 or another network basedcomputer system. Additional applications can be added to the situationalawareness system 10 as more functionality is required by the user. Ghostusers 80 utilizing the Covert Mobile application 30 contributeinformation to the situational awareness system 10 for the benefit ofthe users 18 but are not users 18 in the sense that they do not haveaccess to information that is made available to the users 18. The suiteof client-based software applications deployed in the system 10 isdesigned for a variety of mobile devices, including smart phones, tabletcomputers and tactical radios. Although the invention is described inthe context of a smart phone it is to be understood that the inventioncan be practiced with other handheld devices running suitable operatingsystems, e.g., operating systems such as Android™, BlackBerr™, and iOS™(the mobile operating system used in smart phones marketed by AppleInc.). The situational awareness system web based applications 34, 36,38 are accessible to the client devices with many common internetbrowsers on a wide variety of devices, including notebook computers andeven via tablet computers having data connectivity to the internet,e.g., through a cellular network.

The situational awareness system 10 utilizes a minimal data architecturedesigned to provide additional security to the user 18 in the field. Nodata needs to be retained on the client devices and, in the disclosedembodiments, no data is permanently retained on the client devices.Thus, if a client device is lost or stolen, critical information is notavailable to an unauthorized individual attempting to access the device.Minimal permanent data stored within the phone includes very basic userprofile information, e.g. first name, last name, call sign, etc. andvarious check flags for initialization states upon re-entering theapplication.

A feature of the situational awareness system 10 is that the clientdevices, e.g., smartphones, are not uniquely or permanently assigned toeach of the users 18. Rather, the same mobile device may be shared amongusers at different times, e.g., during different shifts, or may be keptin reserve (inactive) for use on an ad hoc basis when additional mobiledevices are distributed, e.g., during emergency situations. The uniqueidentification numbers and telephone numbers of the mobile devices areonly registered or assigned to a user upon login and are removed fromthe system upon logout. This capability can provide significantflexibility to the organization and lowers the cost of acquisition ofthe technology by minimizing the cost of hardware. This feature alsoprovides additional security to the user 18 because phone numbers arenever stored permanently on the phone or in the database 24 of thesituational awareness system 10. In order to improve security using thisparticular client device sharing technique, an option can be provided toauthenticate the user upon first use of the mobile device. Anadministrator application can provide this function and the smart phonescan also be deactivated from a particular user upon completion of anoperation using the phone.

In the illustrated embodiments histories of location data are obtainedfor each of the users 18 but are not saved in the system 10. Onlycurrent location data are placed in the server database. No locationdata is retained on the client device. Location data on the serverdatabase 24 are updated (i.e., over-written) immediately when newposition data is received from the mobile client device. For eachlogged-in user 18, all location-based position data are completelyremoved from the database 24 when the user logs off the system 10 orchooses to turn off the location polling. Another embodiment allows forretention of stored location data (e.g., a time history of GPS datacollection) to provide location histories of individuals and events.These histories may be useful for training, preparation of after-actionreports, evidence or other needs.

An embodiment of the situational awareness system 10 includes thecreation of text notes and photographs for retention in the database 24and sharing. These data are uploaded from the client 12 to the networkserver and stored on the system for a limited time period. Storage ofthis data only in the database 24 minimizes theft, data tampering andloss of information in the event of a security breach or system failure.In one embodiment, a retention period renders the available data to beretrieved by the user only during a limited time period, e.g., a 30 dayperiod, after being collected and written to the database 24. In anotherembodiment, the same data may be stored on the system 10 for anadditional 30 days, but with access limited to a system administratorwho has direct access to the system database 24, before beingpermanently deleted from the system database 24. These time periods arevariable and can be modified for each organization by a systemadministrator. Use of the pre-determined data retrieval and storageperiods ensures that if a security breach occurs, the entire evidence orinformation database of the department will not be compromised, sincethe data available at any one moment in time is for a limited timeperiod, e.g. 30 days. According to another embodiment of the system 10,the photographic and text note data are stored permanently. This mightbe valuable for commercial users who do not have to secure evidence orreport databases as might be required in a law enforcement or securityorganization to which they can transfer information from a situationalawareness system.

Creation of a shared situational awareness capability among members ofan organization (e.g. where the users are members of a law enforcementorganization), begins with the formation of a closed user network forthe organization. A user group consisting of members of the organizationis created within the situational awareness server database 24.Initially, the database is populated with the organization name andattributes, such as the maximum number of members, the geographicheadquarters of the organization, the time zone of the headquarters ofthe organization and the user profile for at least one member of thegroup. The system administrator may also delete the organization asappropriate. An additional browser application may be created to performthis initialization of the organization, modify attributes of theorganization and delete the organization from the database so that asystem administrator with direct access to the database is unnecessary.

The server 14 may support provision of services to multipleorganizations, each running a system 10 on a different network. However,users of a network created for one organization cannot interact with thenetwork created for another organization, i.e., the situationalawareness system for each organization operates in a different closednetwork. The data for each of the organizations are in distinctlocations within the server database 24. Unless it is desired to shareinformation between organizations (e.g., among police, fire and medicalorganizations in the same unit of government) overlap is prevented byusing data boundary software techniques to ensure the integrity of boththe organization data and each user's data within each organization. Toeffect sharing of information between organizations, an embodiment ofthe situational awareness system 10 includes an architecture wheredisparate organizations of users can interact with users of anotherorganization through the use of a bridging functionality where differentorganizations can decide to integrate certain functions or data betweentheir respective systems 10 on a temporary or long term basis. Thismight be useful for a department which has several organizationscontained within, which organizations normally function independent ofone another but on occasion need to form a larger virtual system. As anexample, a law enforcement department may have several organizationalunits, e.g. traffic and patrol, SWAT, narcotics, vice, crowd control,K-9, etc. that may need to conduct joint operations from time to time.This bridging capability is also useful for dissimilar departments tojoin and unjoin as appropriate for their operations such as might benecessary for a large multi jurisdictional response, e.g. various fire,law enforcement, HAZMAT, EMT organizations.

FIGS. 3 a, 3 b and 3 c illustrate the basic functionality of the browserbased System Administration application 34 which creates, maintains,updates and deletes initial user profiles within the group. A first timeuse of the situational awareness system 10 includes a process where thefirst user in the group for whom the user profile has been entered intothe database is used to log into the System Administration applicationand populate all other users in the group in the database 24 to beginoperation on the system 10. FIG. 3 a illustrates the SystemAdministration application home page 39 with a list of sample users.From the home page 39 users can be created, edited, deleted or theirpassword changed. FIG. 3 b illustrates the Add User page 40 within theSystem Administration application. The initial user profiles may bedefined by the following fields: username, password, first name, lastname, badge or employee, authorization level, assigned role and usertype. Other embodiments of the system contain the option to addadditional fields to enter data, e.g., shift, medical training, languageproficiency, weapon type or other important user attributes relevant tothe organization.

Each username associated with each organization supported by thesituational awareness system 10 and used to log into the system 10 mustbe a unique identifier throughout the entire system. The username pointseach user to the particular organization (e.g., the correct lawenforcement or fire group) within the system. Except as noted above, thesystem does not allow a user to access to any information associatedwith a different organization. In order to minimize the possibility oferrors and confusion, the username can be the user's email address. Theauthorization level assigned to each user determines the level of accesseach user has to each of the applications. For example, supervisors mayrequire access to different functionality than non-supervisors withinthe applications. Exemplary choices for the authorization field include:Tactical, Command, System Administrator, Super Administrator and CAD APIIntegrator. The CAD API Integrator level of authorization provides anauthorization role as a special designator for a machine automatedoperation which facilitates placement of user data into anorganization's other legacy systems, e.g. in law enforcement theComputer Aided Dispatch application. This allows machine to machinetransfers of data useful to each of the systems.

The field “assigned role” within the situational awareness system 10defines a particular job function for the user 18 within theorganization, e.g. operator, medic, etc. The “assigned role” field maybe used to color code assets (e.g., personnel by job function) on themap, to facilitate quick batch operations for sharing data and tootherwise sort users for sharing of data. The field “user type” may beutilized to sort a particular kind of user in operations, independent ofthe “assigned role”, for use within applications, e.g. batch lists andgroups. This also provides another level of access control to data andlogin to applications within the system. Choices for this field includeCommand, Non-Command and Ghost user. A user 18 with access to the SystemAdministration application 34 can also modify all user profiles withinan organization by utilizing the Edit User page 41 as illustrated inFIG. 3 c.

Using the Situational Awareness Mobile application 28, residing on amobile client (e.g., a smartphone) each user may complete his or herprofile and begin mobile use of the system 10. Demonstrated in FIG. 4 isthe initial login and profile completion process. At the time of thefirst login, a user enters the mobile application for the first timewith an assigned username (e.g., email address) and password that werecreated in the System Administration application 34. After the user 18is authenticated, the initial profile setup is completed through theapplication 28. In the initial profile setup the user adds a call signto his or her profile. An option also exists on this setup screen toinclude a nickname and a personal photograph. The call sign may be ofany length but, in operation, only the first 15 alpha-numeric characterswill be displayed during system operation. After successful completionof this screen, the user then designates a transportation state on thenext screen which is used to select a particular icon 42 for placementon a map 46, e.g., on foot, motor vehicle, bicycle, motorcycle or horse.The transportation state may also be used to calculate time of arrivalsbetween two users, e.g. when an officer will arrive to provide backup.More generally, the transportation states could include boats,helicopters, airplanes and four wheel ATVs. This field could also bechanged to a role within the organization which would imply a particulartransportation state. The system 10 also includes the option to addadditional fields for data entry in the first login process similar tothat of the System Administration application 34, e.g., shift, medicaltraining, language proficiency, weapon type or other important userattributes relevant to the organization.

After completion of these two screens, the user initialization iscomplete and these inputs do not need to be performed again. The user 18need only provide user name and password information to a log-in screen50 to enter into the system 10. Additionally, if the user logs in againfor any future work period after performing a logout, e.g., for a shift,the username is stored in the client device (e.g., a smart phone) sothat the user does not have to enter the username to effect log-in orother operations which require entry of a user name and password.Additionally if the user never logs out of the mobile application 28(e.g., during a shift) the user will always be able to access theapplication without a username/password entry, even after the phone hasbeen powered off and powered back on. After initial setup, anytime theuser 18 successfully completes the log-in, the home page 52 of theSituational Awareness Mobile application 28 appears on the display 54 ofthe mobile client 12 indicating the application 28 is operating in thesystem 10.

From the home page screen 52 of the Situational Awareness mobileapplication 28, the user 18 can view and create information on theclient 12. A feature of the Situational Awareness Mobile application 28is the provision of a true Common Operating Picture (COP), i.e., acommon visualization of important assets and information in a singleview, which may be in a list format or a map view. This enables multipleusers in the organization to view the same operational information. Inthe context of a law enforcement organization, all officers canvisualize the same information in a common view of themselves as well asothers in the organization. Another capability of the system 10 is theability to collect, distribute and view critical information among aselect group of users for sharing and retention. The information may becreated by a user or shared by one user among other users.

The Situational Awareness Mobile application 28 is a native applicationfor mobile devices which provides improved response times and enhanceduser experience over a web application. Operating in the native mobileenvironment is advantageous. That is, the system 10 can perform complexcomputations on a local, i.e., mobile client, level to minimize networktraffic and avoid speed limitations that would otherwise affect overallapplication performance. Use of local memory in the client deviceenables the system 10 to deploy or process large, resource intensivedata operations in the mobile device, including setup information suchas user lists and map data.

Another advantage of executing native applications is that capabilitiesnot dependent on server interaction function independent of the network.Data generated locally can be temporarily stored on the mobile deviceand then uploaded to a network computer at a later time. The overalluser experience can be optimized with this approach. In doing so, theapplication 28 can be customized for viewing presentation based on theexact screen size and mobile device functionality of each client, asopposed to a “one size fits all” approach typical of web applicationswhich centrally process information and transfer results to mobiledevices. Also, web applications, in general, are relatively slow andmore prone to network service issues.

An exemplary view of the home page 52 of the Situational AwarenessMobile application 28 is illustrated in FIG. 5. The page presents theuser 18 with eleven options to select from. Core functionality isaccessed on the client device touch screen display 60 through sixrelatively large square buttons while the settings and secondaryfunctions are accessed with smaller buttons. The settings menu 64 forthe application is accessed by making touchscreen contact with asettings menu button 66, in the upper right hand corner of the page 52,containing an image of a sprocket. Within the settings menu 64, the user18 may choose to change the password, adjust the screen brightness orreceive updates for the application 28. The user can also logout of theapplication from this menu.

Three large buttons 70, 72, 74 on an upper half of the home page 52provide access to positional and roster functionality of theapplication. Positional situational awareness is visualized through anyof multiple display forms which indicate the location and status ofofficers within a predefined distance of the user 18. The displayoptions represented by the three buttons 70, 72, 74, from left to right,are a list view 70 v, a map view 72 v and a radar view 74 v asillustrated in FIG. 6. The user 18 can return to the homepage at anytime by utilizing the home button 76, represented by 9 small squares. Inthe list view 70 v, users 18 (e.g., officers) and ghost users 80 (asexplained below) are sorted by linear distance from the user viewing thelist to each of the other users 18 within the predefined distance. Eachof the users within the predefined distance is identified by first andlast name, along with a personal photograph, a call sign andtransportation state. Users who are logged into the mobile applicationbut who (i) are outside the predefined distance, or (ii) have pollingturned off, or (iii) cannot otherwise be located (e.g., users loggedinto the browser applications only); appear at the bottom of the list.Including these users in the list ensures that everyone logged into thesystem is accounted for. The map view 72 v displays all users who arewithin range of the zoom boundaries on the screen and who have an activeposition location on a map or satellite representation. Pressing theidentification arrow 84 in the upper right hand corner of the map view72 v centers the map on the user operating the mobile client device. Asthe user moves with the mobile client device, the map remains centeredon that individual. The transportation state and call sign of each useris displayed in the map view 72 v with an icon for ease ofidentification.

The radar view 74 v is useful for close-in visualization of users 18 andalso provides a compass-like orientation to quickly determine pointingdirections along which other users are located relative to the client 12on which the other users 18 are viewed. The range is adjustable byswiping a single finger up and down on the radar screen. In the map andsatellite views, the position of the user 18 in possession of the clientis indicated with a colored (e.g., blue) dot 88, while other officersare displayed as colored (e.g., green) icons 92 and while ghost users 80are displayed as orange icons 96. In the radar view, the position of theuser is at the center of the radar view while other officers and ghostusers are displayed as colored (e.g., green, orange, etc.) dots. Customcolor selection for each icon within the Situational Awareness mobileapplication 28 or within the web applications is an option. The radarview includes the display of a series of concentric rings 92 which arehighlighted in different colors to represent the effective firing rangeof a weapon from the position of each armed user viewed on the display.The two standard concentric ring 92 sizes are fifty yards or meters,which represents a pistol, and three hundred yards or meters, whichrepresents a rifle. The radar view 74 v may also be centered on adifferent user for different perspectives. This helps officers determinewhether other officers are potentially within a line of fire or if it ispossible to hit an individual or object, provided that other informationdisplayed within the radar view accurately approximates relevantdistances. Users for whom the position is considered inaccurate oruncertain may be shown with gray icons.

FIG. 6 b illustrates an isolation map view 98 a of the SituationalAwareness Mobile application 28 in which a single user 18 (e.g.,officer), represented on the map 46 by the icon 90 is isolated with theviewing user 18 v (i.e., the user in possession of the client devicewhich generates the view) represented on the map 46 by the blue user dot88. Within the isolation radar view 98 b the single user 18 isrepresented by the radar icon 90 v and the viewing user 18 v is at thecenter of the radar screen. This de-cluttering allows the viewing user18 v to quickly and easily locate one individual. This can be especiallyimportant when the viewing user is in a stressful or distractingenvironment. To generate an isolation map view 98 a for a particularuser, the viewing user can click on that individual in the list view 70v. Also, as shown in FIG. 6 a, clicking on the icon of an individualuser 18 displays a pop-up box for that user which provides the fullname, photograph and call sign of the user as well as other usefulinformation. Then, by tapping on that user icon a second time, thedisplay transitions to the isolation view 98. The isolation radar view98 b can be viewed by pressing the radar button at the bottom of thepage. The user 18 can move back to the isolation map view by utilizingthe map button at the bottom of the page.

Within the isolation view, the viewing user 18 v can center the map onthe individual of interest by pushing the identification arrow 84towards the upper right hand corner in the map. By accessing a pull-downbox 100 in the header at the top of the screen, the user can viewadditional information about that particular user or the person'slocation. One advantageous parameter is the ETE (estimated time inroute) which is a computation of an estimated amount of time requiredfor that individual to arrive at the viewing user's location, takinginto account optimum routing, traffic and transportation state as, forexample, made available through Google Maps services. The computation ofthe ETE is for each of two directions of travel, i.e., from the viewinguser to that individual and from the individual to the viewing user.

Returning to FIG. 5, below the list, map and radar view buttons 70, 72,74, are three relatively small setting option buttons. The first(left-most) setting option button 104 allows the user to update the callsign and photograph. The second (middle) setting option button 106allows the user to modify the position polling rate which can beadjusted up or down to save battery life. Current polling options in theapplication range from the fastest position capture, based on theprocessing characteristics within each mobile device, to periodicposition capture at a slow interval setting, e.g. every 60 seconds. Theuser can also turn tracking off to save battery life or when atlocations where it is not important or possible to receive locationinformation. The last (right-most) button 108 of the three on the middlepart of the dashboard allows the user to modify the transportationstate.

With further reference to FIG. 5, three large buttons 110, 112, 114 on alower half of the home page 52 incorporate several typical smartphonefunctions. The left-most button 110 accesses a text note application 110a. The middle button 112 accesses a photo capture application 112 a, andthe right-most button 114 accesses a user notebook viewer application114 a.

The Situational Awareness system 10 provides a high level of integratedfunctions resulting from the client-server distributed networkingarchitecture. When a user 18 is logged into the system 10 theapplications 110 a, 112 a and 114 a function entirely within the systemnetwork and in accord with constraints imposed to control storage andaccess to the application data. In the disclosed embodiments theconstraints are tailored to law enforcement activities and related legalconsiderations. Specifically, provision of the applications 28 and 38assures that, after data is generated on the mobile client device, thedata cannot be permanently stored or retained on the client device ofthe user that generated the data. Nor can the data be stored or retainedon the client device of a user that is permitted to view the data.Integration of the Situational Awareness Mobile application 28 with theserver-based Situational Awareness Information Manager application 38enables the users 18 to quickly collect and share information andquickly view information shared by other users. The information can becollected as a combination of text and photographs (referred to as photonotes) which are created using the text note button 110 and thephotograph capture button 112 on the home page 52. Further, theserver-based Situational Awareness Shared Information application 38enables capture and integration into the system 10 of audio, video,accelerometer and other sensor data, also subject to constraints imposedto control storage and access to the application data. The foregoingdata can be viewed with the application 28 by pressing the Notebookbutton 114.

With reference to FIG. 7 a, the text note application 110 a, the photocapture application 112 a and with reference to FIG. 7 b, the notebookviewer application 114 a may each be a pre-existing mobile client nativesoftware application designed to run on in an original operating mode onthe particular client device (to ensure compatibility with the clientdevice), but also configured in a second operating mode which only runswhen the application is launched from a screen generated on the displayby running the Situational Awareness Mobile application 28. The textentry mode of the text note application 110 a enables a user 18 to typea note with a graphical keyboard 120 on the touch screen display 60, orto use a speech-to-text option such as is available on many smart phonesto generate recordable data. In both cases, the data is retained involatile memory (e.g., RAM) and presented on the display 60 for thecreator to review. The voice-to-text option may require a connection tothe internet so that the appropriate OS, e.g. Android, iOS, etc., maycorrectly interpret the desired entry. After pressing DONE on the touchscreen display 60, the text note is uploaded to the server and saved tothe database 24, and the display 60 returns to a view of the home page52. The Situational Awareness Mobile application 28 deploys the nativecamera application in a reconfigured operational mode, as the photocapture application 112 a, which mode only runs on the client devicewhen the application is launched from a screen generated on the displayby running the Situational Awareness Mobile application 28. Initially,the photo and note data is retained in volatile memory (e.g., RAM) andpresented on the display 60 for the creator to review. The user mayabort the photograph by using the smartphone back button or by notaccepting the photograph in accord with typical operation of a nativecamera application. Choosing acceptance of the photograph or abortingthe photograph results in display of the homepage 52. The client 12 willalso attach metadata to the text entry or photograph, e.g. time, data,compass orientation, position, user who has logged into account, phoneidentification, etc. as further documentation characterizing orauthenticating the information and for compliance with reportingrequirements of the organization.

With reference to FIGS. 7 a, 7 b, and 7 c, according to one embodimentof the process, an exchange of information between the server 14 andmobile client 12 occurs after creation of either a text note (e.g. atext file), or a photo note (e.g. an image from a camera). FIGS. 7 a and7 b illustrate the text capture application 110 a, the photographcapture application 112 a and the notebook viewer application 114 a.FIG. 7 c illustrates components within the server 10, including a serverCPU circuit board 220, on which reside a server processor 222 and avolatile memory medium 224, a server storage circuit board 228 with aserver non-volatile storage medium 230. FIG. 7 c also illustratescomponents within the hand-held client device 12, which consists of asmartphone CPU circuit board 210 with a device processor 212 and aclient volatile storage medium 214, also with a client storage circuitboard 216 with a resident client non-volatile storage medium 218. Bothserver non-volatile memory 230 and client non-volatile memory 218 mayalso reside on their respective CPU circuit boards as well, e.g. 210 and228. The storage mediums 214, 218, 224 and 230 each have separatelyaddressable memory locations respectively; client volatile addressablememory block 236, client non-volatile addressable memory block 234,server volatile addressable memory block 238 and server addressablenon-volatile memory block 232. These separately addressable memorylocations may be utilized by the situational awareness system to storedata which is not accessible outside the situational awareness system.

FIG. 8 demonstrates the process for capture of a text note or photoimage note. Creation of a text note or photo note begins with theselection of capture photograph 242 or capture text note 252 using theclient 12 using the text note capture application 110 a and a photographcapture application 112 a. The text note 110 a or the photo note captureapplication 112 a may be an application resident on the client 12 whichis utilized within the Situational Awareness Mobile application 28. Thetext note application 110 a or photo note capture application 112 a mayalso be custom built for the Situational Awareness Mobile application.After initial capture is complete for a photograph in step 244 or a textnote in step 254, the data is temporarily stored within the clientvolatile storage medium 214 under the control of the client processor212 in steps 254 and 246 in a memory storage location known to theSituational Awareness Mobile application 28. At this time the data maybe removed from volatile memory 218 (e.g., RAM) in the client device. Ifthe user 18 aborts either process then the text note or photo note iserased or can be overwritten upon next capture from client volatilememory 214. If the user elects to save the text note 254 or the photonote 248, the data is written to the non-volatile memory 218 of themobile client 12 and stored in a file space on the client non-volatilestorage medium only accessible within the Situational Awareness Mobileapplication 28 as shown in steps 250 and 256. In step 258, the text noteor photo note is retained until it is uploaded to the server 14, undercontrol of the server processor 222 to be eventually stored in theserver non-volatile storage medium 230. The note is then removed fromthe client non-volatile memory 218 so that the client processor 212 canno longer directly access the data from the client non-volatile memory218. To effect uploading the text note or photo note data to the server,the client device initiates a service request to upload the note data tothe server. An embodiment of the situational awareness system is to notrequire the photo note or text note be moved to client non-volatile 218memory and directly uploaded the data from the client volatile memory214 (do we want this in here?).

Upload begins immediately if a network connection is available, but if anetwork connection is not available, the client 12 continually tries toaccess the server 14 to upload the data. When a network connection iscreated, and the server is accessed, the server acknowledges that thenote data is to be uploaded and establishes a location in the database24 to store the data within the user's account. The server creates afile access permission matrix which consists of an owner and potentialviewers. The owner is the user for whom the client 12 uploaded the dataand the viewers are other users first selected by the owner to haveaccess to view the note when the data is initially shared by the ownerfor the first time. Hence, viewers are the set of, or a subset of, allother users within the organization who have been given access to thenote data by the owner. Once the viewer's receive access to the note,they can allow other users access to the data without the owner'spermission. Once the note data is uploaded to the database 24, only theowner may delete the note from the database. After the data upload hasbeen confirmed by the server, a message is sent back to the client 12that the upload is completed and the Situational Awareness Mobileapplication 28 then deletes the note from the non-volatile memory in theclient 12. Visual confirmation of upload activity is shown on the homepage 52. The status of the upload process is displayed in the synchingnotification area 124 in the lower left hand corner of the page 52 asshown in FIG. 5. If an upload is pending or in process, a syncing icon126 displaying the number of notes waiting to be uploaded will bespinning. When all notes have been uploaded, the syncing icon is nolonger spinning and a “No Notes to Synch” message is displayed. FIG. 8 bdemonstrates a similar process when the mobile client device 18 utilizesonly the Situational Awareness Mobile application 28. Login to theclient device 18 only allows the user to operate the SituationalAwareness application 28 and the need for separate memory allocations isnot necessary.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 7 b, the button 114 is used to initiatethe notebook viewer application 114 a, which presents options to viewcontents of either a My Notes folder 130 a or a “Shared Notes” folder130 b. The My Notes folder 130 a provides a line item listing 115 inchronological order of all available notes created by the user 18 of theclient 12. This view presents the files in daily groups with each groupplaced under a header indicating the day, e.g. Monday, Tuesday, etc. andthe date, i.e. Nov. 18, 2013 on which each file was created. A listingcontains the thumbnail 115 a of each photograph or text note, the timeof day the note was created as well as the creator's first and lastname. If the user would like to see a detailed view of the text or photonote the user created, clicking on that particular listing displays acopy of the note for viewing on the client. With reference to FIG. 9 a,text note view 302 displays the entire text note saved on the server 14and photo note view 304 displays the full size photograph saved on theserver 14. If the selection is a text note, the user can edit that notefrom this view using the edit button 500 in the upper right hand cornerof the screen. In an alternative embodiment of the situational awarenesssystem, a history of all edits to the note can be stored in the databasefor file integrity tracking purposes. The Shared Notes folder 130 bcontains a line item listing 115 of the files in chronological order offile information similar in nature to the type stored in the My Notesfolder 130 a, but which data have been provided to the viewing user byother users. In FIG. 7 b, the name of the user who has shared the datais shown in each of the listings along with the thumbnail 115 a that wasshared and the time the note was shared. With reference to FIG. 9 b,text note view 308 displays the entire shared text note saved on theserver 14 and photo note view 310 displays the full size sharedphotograph saved on the server 14. In the Shared Notes folder 130 b, aviewing user may remove notes from the list seen by the viewing user,but the viewing user cannot delete the note from the server database 24.

As illustrated in FIG. 9 a, both photo and text notes can be deleted inthe My Notes folder 130 a and as Illustrated in FIG. 9 b, within theShared Notes folder 130 b, photo and text notes can only be removed.Removing a note only has the effect of removing access for the viewinguser to view the file. Hence, notes can be re-shared with the viewinguser as the original copy is not deleted. Text notes that are sharedcannot be edited by the viewing user. Both user owned notes and sharednotes may be deleted individually or multiple listings can be deletedsimultaneously using the batch option 134 accessed with the batch button134 b in FIG. 7 b, indicated by three overlapping rectangles. Individualfiles are selected with check marks as shown in FIGS. 9 a and 9 b tocreate a group for the batch operation. As illustrated in FIG. 9 a,deletion of individual or multiple listings is processed by pressing theDelete button 502 at the bottom of the any of the three screens 300,302, 304. With reference to FIG. 9 b, removing listings is effected bypressing the Remove button 504 at the bottom of any of the three screens306, 308, 310. FIG. 10 illustrates options for deleting as well assharing data in both folders.

FIGS. 9 a and 9 b also illustrate note sharing options within thenotebook viewer application 114 a from both folders. The shared notesmay be shared individually using the share button 506 and groups of notefiles can be shared simultaneously again using the batch option 134accessed with the batch button 134 b. Individual files are selected withcheck marks as shown in FIGS. 9 a and 9 b to create a group for thebatch operation. Once the information to be shared is selected, the userselects persons to share the information with as shown in the sharinglist view screens 313. With reference to FIG. 9 c, the persons areselected from a list view of all users 311 who are in the list ofindividuals in the organization. If other officers are logged into theSituational Awareness system and are actively position polling, theyhave an ACTIVE status in the list as shown in FIG. 9 c, while officersnot logged into the Situational Awareness system are designatedINACTIVE. In an alternate embodiment of the situational awareness system10, users 18 (e.g., officers) are either logged into the system, or adifferent set of user conditions are provided, as the requirement todefine the ACTIVE status. The user can select one or several individualsfrom the list view as recipients of the selected note or, as shown inthe sharing list view screen 313, that user may deploy an option toimmediately send the selected information to a particular group ofofficers, e.g. all Active Command users, all Officers (ACTIVE andINACTIVE) or all Officers on-line (only ACTIVE).

Referring to FIG. 10 again, when the sharing REST service request isreceived at the server from the sharing client 12, the server allowsaccess to the note(s) by other clients 12 based on the correspondinglist of users 18 identified by the sharing client and sends anotification to all the clients to be allowed access. In one embodimentthis notification to all the clients is effected by sending anotification request to one or more third party providers having accessto standard messaging services on the specific client devices (e.g.,smartphone) based on the particular OS running on the client, e.g., foran Android, Amazon or Apple product. Each third party service deliversthe notification to the phones that shared notes are available with amessage created by the situational awareness system which also statesthe number of unread messages. The Situational Awareness Mobileapplication 28 also updates the number of unread shared notes displayedon the home page 52.

Referring to FIG. 9 c again, when a file has been shared with anotherclient, a red notebook icon 142 is displayed in the task bar at the topof the smartphone screen of the client 12 having received the file, thisindicating to the recipient user that a new file has been added to theShared Notes file in that client device. Accessing the standardnotification list on the smartphone will display the shared notenotification, along with any other general smartphone notifications thatexist. Touching the shared note notification will allow the user toimmediately access the Shared Notes folder within the SituationalAwareness Mobile application 28.

As shown in FIG. 5, the home page 52 of the Situational Awareness Mobileapplication 28 displays a touch screen-enabled auto-share button 150located in the lower right hand corner of the screen by which a user 18can automatically share created notes to a preselected set of otherusers 18 (e.g., officers) every time a text or photo note is created.This eliminates a set of steps (e.g., key strokes) which may bebeneficial when encountering a threat or requiring quick reaction times.

Shown in FIG. 11 is the Situational Awareness Map/Roster Application 36.This browser application is a display tool useful when large screensizes are available to view graphic information normally shown on smartphone displays, e.g., when a user wants to visualize greater map andsatellite detail or more easily manipulate map information. TheMap/Roster Application 36 can be utilized at Command posts, in vehiclesand in office environments by supervisors and others who monitor oroversee operations. The application can also be used by law enforcementofficers using notebook computers coupled to the network, e.g., via awireless link, which may be located within department vehicles.

The Map/Roster Command application 36 provides a list 154 of logged-inusers 18, including those not actively polling (i.e., not collectingposition signals and the location data to a database on the web basedplatform) and those whose position is uncertain, and a large mapdisplaying all of the active polling users. The map has functionality ofthe type that exists in well known commercially available applicationssuch as used for satellite imagery, zoom, rotation controls and a streetview map option. The list view allows the user to easily find aparticular user 18, e.g. a law enforcement officer, or a ghost user 80.Other embodiments provide marker placement and additional information orfunctions which overlay the map view of the users. These may includebreadcrumbs, weather information, drawing overlays, historical data, andremaining battery life of the client device and accuracy or maximumweapon firing range for each displayed user. Another feature of thesituational awareness system 28 is the ability to change user profilesor display information as necessary within an operation by otherorganizational users in other applications, e.g. a supervisor who wishesto change a call sign within an operation of a particular user from theSituational Awareness Map/Roster browser application.

Battery life recording is an important attribute for the entireapplication. Recording of remaining battery life allows supervisors toknow that an asset in the field may get removed from the CommonOperating Picture. The supervisors will thus know that the removal wasnot the result of an officer safety issue or an unknown location. Thisinformation can also be used to alert the user 18 carrying the mobileclient of a need to get the client to a charging center or plug inoptional batteries to restore life to the smart phone. Historicalrecords of the battery life can be used for maintenance and trainingfunctions. For example, knowledge of the model of the device and thecurrent discharging profile can alert IT staff to improper operation ofthe equipment, e.g. due to an aging battery. The data can also be usedto determine geographic areas which are more prone to battery lifeconsumption, such as those areas having weak cell tower signals orrequiring RF transmission from basements.

With reference to FIG. 12, the effective firing range of a weapon 190 inthe possession of a user 18 can be identified by type based on a weapondesignation (e.g., pistol, rifle, etc., model, etc.) listed in theuser's profile or chosen from a list view. In another embodiment theweapon 190 can be identified by type and model automatically through aRFID tag 196 on the user's firearm. For example, each weapon used in alaw enforcement organization may have placed thereon a RFID tag 196containing identification information for the weapon. The RFID tag 196is linked to the server 14 through the mobile client 12 of the user 18in possession of the weapon 190 through a wireless link 194 from theRFID tag 196 to the tag reader 198. One such type of RFID wireless link194 is based on NFC (Near Field Communications) standards. With themobile client 12 incorporating a NFC based protocol for the tag reader198 and a NFC based protocol for the RFID tag 196 placed on the weapon190, the system would not require any additional hardware. Anotherembodiment includes a WI-FI based RFID tag 196 on the weapon which wouldalso not require any additional hardware in addition to the mobileclient 12. In another embodiment a proprietary RFID tag 196 requiresadditional hardware to be attached to the mobile client to read theproprietary tag. The RFID tag 196 would then facilitate knowledge of theweapon type to client 12 which would facilitate knowledge of the weapontype to the situational awareness network 10. The server 14 would thenassign an effective firing range to the user from the knowledge of theweapon type. The effective firing range would be represented by a ringaround the user. Using the maximum firing range of the weapon, otherdeterminations can be made within the situational awareness system. Theintersection of a maximum firing ranges of two users on top of the iconscould indicate possible fratricide issues that need to be determined. Ifthe position of a target is known, determination of an effective firingrange that covers that target can be based on the positions of users 18.

FIG. 2 illustrates how a Covert Mobile application 30 is integrated intothe system 10. This application runs on a client device, is in the formof a smart phone or a tablet computer having a wireless communicationslink and in the possession of non-users. A function of the Covert Mobileapplication 30 is to report activity information relating to thenon-user or the environment about the non-user. A non-user isillustrated as a ghost user 80 in FIG. 2. A ghost user 80 may be anon-officer or undercover officer having covert missions during whichthere cannot be any access to applications such as shown in FIG. 2,which would identify the person as a law enforcement representative.Examples of individuals who would be provided mobile clients having thecovert mobile functionality include confidential informants, hostages,captors, witness protection candidates, and K-9s or other assets beingtracked by the law enforcement organization.

The information can be any type of data that can be received from thesmartphone. This includes both phone sensor information and variousphone states, e.g. position, audio and video data, photographs, compassposition, battery life, etc. The non-users, while in possession of asmart phone or other mobile client connected to transmit data to theserver or clients in the network, do not have access to, or benefitfrom, any of the functionality of the other Situational Awarenessapplications or other resources of the system 10. With activation of theCovert Mobile application 30, the locations of a ghost user 80 carryingthe mobile client running this application appears in the SituationalAwareness Common Operating Picture (COP). FIGS. 6 a and 11 illustratethe presence of a ghost user 80, represented by the ghost user icon 96alongside law enforcement users 18, represented by user icons 90 on theCOP. Map screens of the both the Situational Awareness mobileapplication 28 and the Map/Roster application 36 display ghost users 80to logged-in law enforcement users. Covert mobile applications accordingto one embodiment of the invention are designed to look and operate likeother normal consumer applications having functionality different andunrelated to the functionality of the covert application in order toprovide inconspicuous operation. More generally, the application couldbe guised as an icon that appears like a non-functional image on adisplay, or as any kind of application which can be launched from atouch screen display, e.g., a video game, a travel assist manager, acalculator, a calendar, or other application typically found on a smartphone and that does not appear suspicious.

The user login page to run the Covert Mobile application 30 may behidden and only manifest on the display when a particular unique gesturecombination is provided by an officer. This could result fromrepetitious tapping on an image, input of a password, or use of aparticular finger gesture on the screen display 60, e.g. drawing an x ontop of a consumer application, moving 3 fingers up and down the screen 5times, etc., or a physical movement on the phone, e.g. shaking the phoneup and down 5 times, waving the phone in a circle 2 times, etc. Inaddition to providing a user name and a password, the user 18 seeking tolaunch the Covert Mobile application 30 will also log the call sign ofthe individual to be tracked, and the call sign will appear in theSituational Awareness mobile application map view and the Map/Rosterapplication map view to identify the individual. Ending the process ofrunning the covert application can also require input of a password toprevent the non-user individual carrying the mobile client 12 fromaccidentally or purposely logging out of the application. Covertlyacquiring position data, photographs or other information also requiresthat the utility be usable by other applications without interference.For one embodiment which runs covert location reporting software, basedon information provided by a GPS utility, a configuration of thesoftware suppresses display of a GPS indicator while allowing operationof other applications which utilize the GPS functionality (e.g., toprovide location information while travelling), and to co-utilize theGPS signal.

FIGS. 13 a, 13 b, 13 c and 13 d illustrate a Situational AwarenessInformation Manager application 160 which actively manages informationthat a first user 18 has created as well as information being sharedwith the first user by other users within the organization. Application160 is used for both real time requirements, e.g. in a command post foran ongoing operation, or in the office or vehicle for after actionreports and analysis of data. The application 160 (i) analyzes existingdata, including timelines and spatial relationships on a map, (ii)shares any critical data in the user's database with other users in theorganization, (iii) creates and downloads information in either rawformat (text files or standard photograph output formats such as jpg) orusing standard report templates available in the application, and (iv)adds information to existing entries for clarification or accuracy.

The Situational Awareness Information Manager application 160 providesthe user 18 with two basic screen views of notes 162 to analyze existinginformation: a Tile view 164 and a Map view 166. The tile view 164contains individual thumbnails 170 of all text and photo notes. Thethumbnails 170 are displayed chronologically in groups according to aparticular date, similar to how data would appear in a law enforcementofficer's handwritten notebook. The files may be searched by dateselection, i.e., by choosing the desired day or date on a calendar 172on the left hand side of the application screen. The user can alsochoose to delete, share or download photo and text notes with buttonselections 176 a, 176 b, 176 c located at the bottom of each thumbnail170. Touch screen contact made with individual thumbnails 170 displaysmore detailed information such as an enlarged photograph or text noteentry, location of the information when recorded, and several timemetadata tags for accuracy.

Three different time stamps are collected to ensure the note accuracy:(i) the time when a record is made on the mobile device (e.g., a writtennote or a photograph), (ii) the time recorded when the information isuploaded to the server and (iii) the time when each location isrecorded. By using all three types of time stamps, further understandingand improvement in the accounting of events becomes possible. Thisremoves practically all doubt about whether the information was tamperedor was not in evidentiary control. The complete list of metadata isdisplayed for each note 162: Capture Date, Capture Time, Upload Time,Mobile Device MEI Number, Officer Name, Badge Number, Latitude andLongitude, GPS accuracy, GPS capture time, Time Difference betweenphotograph capture and GPS capture, Azimuth of mobile device, Pitch ofmobile device and Roll of mobile device. Additional metadata may beincluded, e.g., altitude, temperature, acceleration, pressure andweather conditions.

Returning to FIG. 13 b, the Map view 166 of the Situational AwarenessInformation Manager 160 displays all data collected for a particular daywith pins 180 placed on a map 182 or satellite view. Using the map view,the user can analyze the spatial relationship of all the information.Clicking on an individual pin 180 on the map 182 will display theindividual thumbnail 170 of that particular photo or text note. Althoughnot illustrated, the system includes two additional views: a List viewand a Timeline view. The List view provides a simplified, line-by-line,chronologically accurate list of photo notes and text notes similar tothe notebook view within the Situational Awareness Mobile application.The Timeline View will provide a different visualization of thechronology of events by showing a time axis with notes attached alongthat axis.

With features of the Situational Awareness Information Manager 160, asillustrated in FIGS. 13 a, 13 b, 13 c and 13 d, the user also has accessto three folders which contain information: (i) the All Notes folder,which contains by notes created by the user and shared by other users,(ii) the My Notes folder which only contains notes created by the userand (iii) the Shared Notes folder which contains notes only shared byother users. The same Tile views and Map views shown in FIGS. 13 a and13 b are provided in all three folders as well. In the All Notes foldera real time information selection is also available. By enabling thisselection, the user does not have to refresh the browser manually toview any notes which are created or shared. This automated capabilityprovides a real time operational feed of information from allindividuals within the organization. As illustrated in FIG. 13 d, theuser can select to see all shared notes from all officers or only sharednotes from a particular individual within the Shared Notes folder.

All notes can be downloaded to a desktop or laptop either individuallyor by using a batch process which is initiated by pressing the small boxin the upper left hand corner for each note. All photographs and textnotes as well as the corresponding metadata for each note will bedownloaded. FIG. 14 illustrates an automated report template 200 thatcan also be obtained from the Situational Awareness Information Manager160. The report template 200 contains the photograph, a map with a pinof the location where the photograph was captured and the collectedmetadata. For photo notes, the user 18 may also add a title andadditional written information which are added to the report on a secondpage. FIG. 14 is exemplary of such a report template 200 and alsoillustrates how data initiated from a client device 12 can be obtainedas a printed output for reports, evidence or any similar documentationrequirements. An embodiment of the system is an automated collation ofseveral notes with a similar report template 200 into a single reportoutput.

With reference to FIG. 15, the user may also share notes from theSituational Awareness Information Manager with similar functionality asdescribed for the Situational Awareness Mobile application. A user firstdecides to share an individual note or from a batch selection. Then theuser decides on the group of viewers that will receive access to thenote.

Accuracy and chain of custody of information is vital to law enforcementoperations as well as prosecution of criminal actions. The SituationalAwareness system 10 provides a highly automated and integrated approachto generate and preserve relevant data. By using the combination of theSituational Awareness Mobile application on a mobile client to collectinformation and the Situational Awareness Information Managerapplication 38 to only analyze data and create concise reports, theusers (e.g., law enforcement officers and supervisors) maintain securecontrol of field intelligence. Officers can use the web basedapplication 38 within the patrol vehicle or at the office with asuitably larger screen in an environment in which they can attend to thecollected data with less distraction.

The ability to create a highly accurate accounting of events with thesituational awareness system 10 (e.g., by automating data retentionprocesses, by minimizing the handling of data and controlling access todata) improves credibility of the evidence. The situational awarenesssystem 10 also provides enhanced details to records, e.g. multiple timestamps, date stamps, adding location information, orientation ofsmartphone, etc. while improving efficiencies with which ever greateramounts of useful information can be generated, recorded andauthenticated. The situational awareness system 10 also minimizes orremoves doubt regarding credibility and accuracy of events and itreduces the time spent preparing information for prosecuting attorneysand court appearances. Improved accuracy made available with theSituational Awareness system also facilitates decisions on whethercriminal cases should be brought. When cases are brought, the datagenerated through the situational awareness system 10 improves thecredibility of evidence acquired through the system 10 and later used inlegal proceedings.

Often routine procedures and coordinated operations, e.g. crowd control,SWAT missions or narcotics stings, require creation of post-actionreports. Post action reports often require time consuming efforts tocollect and amalgamate all of the information participating officersgenerate, with much of the information having to be recalled frompersonal memory. The situational awareness system 10 enables rapidacquisition of and access to the data to assimilate credible andpertinent information. The preserved data includes time-dated fieldnotes relied upon when the officer is preparing detailed reports. Sincethe post-action reports could be generated hours after an incident, theauto-generated data can be especially useful when constructing detailedtime lines of key events and when using location information to trackmovements and locations of key real-time intelligence.

Including time and location information with photographs greatlyenhances credibility of evidence and the operational efficiency for theofficers. In contrast to use of the situational awareness system 10, itis conventional that all such descriptions be provided over voicecommunications with a radio. With the situational awareness system 10,the use of inefficient voice communications can be limited to emergencycommunications while data transfer with the situational awareness system10 avoids significant errors (e.g., errors in location information).

The Situational Awareness system 10 enables unparalleled improvement inaccuracy over conventional law enforcement operations. The ability towrite time-dated text notes of actions and to record time-datedphotographs of events within the situational awareness Mobileapplication 28 allows the officer to more efficiently and preciselyrecord important details. With automated inclusion of time, date andlocation information into the data collection process via theapplication 10, the need to manually write down or remember criticalancillary details (e.g., time, date, location or compass orientation)associated with written notes is eliminated. The situational awarenesssystem 10 elevates this information to a business record status,improves credibility of the information and reduces the possibility thatrecordation of this information may be overlooked. Automatic recordingof this information, using a combination of phones utilities and onboard sensors, increases the value of the acquired information and,hence, the demand for such information. Other information which anofficer can record with the situational awareness system 10 includestemperature and acceleration data.

There has been described a system which comprises a series ofapplications, suited to run on mobile devices, and a series of web-basedapplications for which functionality and processing are optimized. Thenative applications and the web-based applications are coordinated tooptimize processes of acquiring, storing and disseminating data forspeed, integrity and security. The applications running on the mobiledevices include the Situational Awareness Mobile application, which is apeer to peer information sharing tool; and a covert tracking applicationto display covert or non-law enforcement assets on the SituationalAwareness COP (Common Operating Picture) displayed on both the mobileand browser applications. The applications running on the serverplatform which can be accessed by any terminal utilizing a web browserinclude a Roster/Map application, a real time expanded COP of all users(e.g., officers) and assets; an Information Manager, a tool whichanalyzes and enables sharing of notes that are synched to a server bythe Situational Awareness Mobile application (e.g., officers candownload notes with meta-tags into existing report templates); and aSystem Administration application, through which user (e.g., officer)profiles within an organization are added and managed.

Advantageously, the situational awareness system can utilize smartphones as clients on existing commercial cellular networks and deploythe aforedescribed mobile applications on those devices. The system alsodeploys web applications into an existing IT infrastructure and operateswith most advanced web browsers on desktops, laptops or tablets.Communication may be encrypted using advanced TLP/SSL. A secure remotecloud based server performs all complex situational awareness systemcomputing tasks and houses the database. A firewall appliance may benetworked in front of the server for added security. An option alsoexists to deploy the system on internal Public Safety IT hardware.

1. A method of sharing information between one or more hand-helddevices, each comprising a device processor, in communication with aserver over a network, the method comprising: storing data locally on astorage medium of a first of the hand-held devices, wherein the datalocally stored is initially accessible for display on the first device;uploading the data to the server adapted to store the data in anon-volatile format remote from the first of the hand-held devices;preventing, via the device processor, further access to the data locallystored on the first device; and retrieving the data stored on the serverfor display on one or more of the hand-held devices, wherein theserver-retrieved data remains volatile on the one or more of thehand-held devices.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein storing data locallycomprises writing the data to one or more of a volatile storage mediumof the first device and a non-volatile storage medium of the firstdevice.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein storing data locally compriseswriting the data to the volatile storage medium accessible for displayon the first device, and writing the data to the non-volatile storagemedium for temporary storage until the data is uploaded to the server.4. The method of claim 1 further comprising uploading access permissionsto the server identifying which of the one or more hand-held devices areauthorized to retrieve the data stored on the server.
 5. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising uploading an identification of one or more ofthe hand-held devices on which display of the server-retrieved data isto be enabled.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining thedata via an application associated with the first device adapted togenerate one or more of textual data, graphical data, image data,location data, sensor data, and environmental data.
 7. The method ofclaim 6 wherein: the application associated with the first devicereceives data from one or more input devices comprising a user inputinterface, a camera, a GPS receiver, and a sensor; and the applicationassociated with the first device is adapted to run in at least twooperation modes wherein the data generated by the application is storedin different memory storage locations depending on the operation mode.8. The method of claim 7 where the two operation modes runsimultaneously and the different memory storage locations comprisedifferent blocks of storage locations in the non-volatile storagemedium.
 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising retrieving thumbnailviews of the data stored on the server.
 10. The method of claim 1further comprising: receiving a selection by the first device via a userinterface to load an application associated with the first device,wherein the application is adapted to generate one or more of textualdata, graphical data, image data, location data, sensor data, andenvironmental data.
 11. The method of claim 1 further comprisingreceiving input by the first device via a user interface wherein theinput comprises access permissions identifying which of the one or morehand-held devices are authorized to retrieve the data stored on theserver.
 12. The method of claim 1 further comprising after uploading thedata to the server, saving an identifier on the first device associatedwith the uploaded data wherein the identifier is adapted to retrieve theuploaded data stored on the server upon selection.
 13. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising managing the data stored on the server via aserver processor, wherein the server processor is adapted to store thedata in a non-volatile memory associated with the server and sending anotification by the server to one or more of the hand-held devices thatare authorized to access the data stored on the server.
 14. The methodof claim 13 further comprising transmitting the data stored on theserver to one or more of the hand-held devices that are authorized toaccess the data stored on the server upon receipt of a request for thedata by the server; and managing a list of the data stored on the servervia the server processor, wherein the list is accessible by the one ormore of the hand-held devices upon logging in to the server.
 15. Anon-transitory computer readable medium having computer instructionsstored thereon adapted to implement a sharing of information between oneor more hand-held devices in communication with a server over a network,each hand-held device comprising a device processor, the instructionswhen executed by a device processor causes the device processor toimplement a method comprising: storing data locally on a storage mediumof a first device of the hand-held devices, wherein the data locallystored is initially accessible for display on the first device;uploading the data to the server adapted to store the data in anon-volatile format remote from the first of the hand-held devices;preventing, via the device processor, further access to the data locallystored on the first device; and retrieving the data stored on the serverfor display on one or more of the hand-held devices, wherein theserver-retrieved data remains volatile on the one or more of thehand-held devices.
 16. A non-transitory computer readable medium havingcomputer instructions stored thereon adapted to implement a method ofcreating and sharing information in a network having a server and aplurality of clients in the form of hand-held devices, the instructionswhen executed by a device processor of each respective hand-held devicecauses the device processor to implement a method comprising: providinga first screen presented on a display of a respective device comprisinga series of icons, a first of the icons providing access to a text entryapplication, for creating text notes, or an image capture application,the text entry application or image capture application enablingcreation of data by a user of the respective device, which data isviewed on a second screen presented on the display of the respectivedevice; providing on the respective device, during or after datacreation, temporary storage of the data displayed on the second screen;after data creation on the respective device, providing an option totransfer the created data from the respective device to the server;providing, after data creation on the respective device, an ability toselect specific ones of the other devices to which the created datareceived by the server is to be made available and providing the serverwith an identification of the selected devices, wherein, provided theuser transfers the created data from the respective device to theserver, automatically removing the data from all non-volatile storageaccessible to the user via the device processor, receiving anotification from the server by each of the other selected devicesindicating that access to the created data is available to that selecteddevice for viewing; and sending a request from one of the other selecteddevices to the server to receive the data from the server to said one ofthe selected devices.
 17. A system for sharing information, comprising:a plurality of hand-held devices in communication with a server over anetwork, each of the hand-held devices comprising a storage medium and adevice processor, the device processor of each hand-held device adaptedto: store each device's data locally on the storage medium of eachrespective device, wherein the data locally stored is initiallyaccessible for display on the respective device; upload the data to theserver adapted to store the data in a non-volatile format remote fromthe first of the hand-held devices; prevent further access to the datalocally stored on the respective device; and retrieve the data stored onthe server by any of the plurality of hand-held devices for which therespective device is authorized for display on the respective device,wherein the server-retrieved data remains volatile on the respectivedevice.
 18. The system for sharing information of claim 75, furthercomprising a server comprising a server processor, wherein the serverprocessor is adapted to manage the data stored on the server, andwherein the server processor is adapted to store the data in anon-volatile memory associated with the server.
 19. A system forcreating and sharing information in a network, comprising: a servercomprising a server processor and a non-volatile server storage medium;a plurality of clients in the form of hand-held devices in communicationwith the server over the network, each of the hand-held devicescomprising a storage medium and a device processor, the device processorof each hand-held device adapted to: provide a first screen presented ona display of a respective device comprising a series of icons, a firstof the icons providing access to a text entry application, for creatingtext notes, or an image capture application, the text entry applicationor image capture application enabling creation of data by a user of therespective device, which data is viewed on a second screen presented onthe display of the respective device; provide on the respective device,during or after data creation, temporary storage of the data displayedon the second screen; after data creation on the respective device,provide an option to transfer the created data from the respectivedevice to the server; provide, after data creation on the respectivedevice, an ability to select specific ones of the other devices to whichthe created data received by the server is to be made available andproviding the server with an identification of the selected devices,wherein, provided the user transfers the created data from therespective device to the server, automatically remove the data from allnon-volatile storage accessible to the user via the device processor,receive a notification from the server by each of the other selecteddevices indicating that access to the created data is available to thatselected device for viewing; and send a request from one of the otherselected devices to the server to receive the data from the server tosaid one of the selected devices.